Diary

23 May 2009

Neil Tennant opens his diary

Last week I was invited by a charity to contribute to a book of ‘words of wisdom’ I would like to have heard when I was 16. It made me think of a strange experience I had at that age. My parents were on holiday and some friends came over for a party; we stayed up most of the night playing music and fooling around. At about three in the morning someone suggested we had a séance. The letters of the alphabet were written on slips of paper and placed in a circle on the dining room table, a glass put in the centre, upside down. We each placed a forefinger on the glass which magically began to move around the circle spelling out nonsense, apparently of its own volition. Then its movements became more confident; one felt that the glass was pulling our fingers, not being pushed by them.

Someone asked: ‘is anyone there?’

‘YES’.

‘Do you have a message for anyone here?’

With sudden fluency: ‘MY DEAR CHILDREN YOU ARE SO YOUNG DO NOT MAKE MY MISTAKES’.

‘What is your name?’

‘OSCAR WILDE’.

A great commotion amongst the adolescents around the table. Oscar Wilde!

‘Are you happy?’

‘NO.’

And he was gone. The glass stopped moving. We were all a bit freaked out. A strong wind was blowing outside. We decided we’d had enough. The letters were gathered in and the glass taken back to the kitchen. I don’t really believe in an afterlife and I suppose someone must have been pushing the glass but I’ve always felt a connection to Wilde since then, as though he’s someone I met once for a brief moment. I recently came across a book called Oscar Wilde in Purgatory, published in the 1920s, which consists of transcriptions of conversations a man called Hester Travers Smith claims to have had with Wilde via a ouija board. In death, as in life, it seems Oscar is a great talker.

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AL

May 27th, 2009 11:37pm Report this comment

“Legacy” is a great song with meaningful lyric. I think PSB, especially Neil, do not have to worry about it in China. Mainland Chinese who buy the “Yes” album will know. Thanks for internet, I am sure they will be able to listen, and will love this song. This is a great publicity of the album, actually. Unfortunately, there are many people, business, press, and government in Hong Kong now self-censor many things. I appreciate that I can have the freedom to listen to PSB songs. Freedom of speech is priceless. Hope to have PSB come to the United States for a tour soon.

angelcyborg

January 2nd, 2011 11:24am Report this comment

I love the generosity in promote the Rasch's work... Is not normal in the "stars system".

Bgg

January 4th, 2011 1:32pm Report this comment

Oh my! is our dear Oscar NOT YET happy? Not even now, wherever he is? How can he? Being one of the most brilliant personalities of all times? Thanks for sharing the expierence with all of us, Neil and....letting us know, however disturbing this was!